When You Know Your Business Website Needs an Overhaul

How do you know when it's time to redesign your website? These five signs indicate all is not well.

How long do you think it takes for people to make a decision about your business judging from your website? The answer is a shocking 0.5 seconds before they decide whether they like what they see or not.

Consumers have so many choices before them. They have no reason to see if their first impression of your business is a poor one as they know they can go elsewhere.

For businesses, this first impression forms a consumer's perception of your entire company. Sleek and modern design, in the minds of visitors, represents a company that is on top of its game, one that offers quality products or services along with a high degree of customer service. However, dated, slow websites make a bad first impression and really affect your bottom line.

How do you turn things around? How do you know when it's time for a website redesign? Below are five signs that all is not well.

1. Your website doesn't work well on mobile devices.

With more than 50 percent of all internet searches now carried out via smartphones, your website has to work well for mobile. Also, Google now punishes websites that don't take mobile users into account. If your website is not mobile friendly, it won't appear very high on the search engine results pages.

Of course, a lower ranking leads to reduced traffic and sales. Having a website that is viewable via a mobile device is now essential. It must be easy to navigate and have everything displayed in a way that's easy to follow.

2. Your website is slow.

People are impatient, so if your website is slow to load, they will go elsewhere. Your website must load within 3 seconds or one out of every two visitors will leave.

People want to see what they came for instantly. There are a number of factors that affect your site's speed. You could have problems with how your site is coded. Your server could be handling too many requests simultaneously. The file sizes on your website may require so much power that it slows everything else down.

Most of these issues are related to poor design either due to a bad developer or that your website is outdated.

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3. You have a high bounce rate.

Look at your bounce rate. If it's high, it's time to make some changes. The bounce rate represents the percentage of visitors that come to your website and then leave without clicking on anything.

Let's say your bounce rate is 33 percent. This then means one out of every three visitors to your site aren't even exploring what you have to offer. In other words, you are missing out on a huge percentage of your sales.

This is all due to a poor first impression. Changing the design and content to something more suitable will make a difference.

4. Your design is outdated.

Web design moves with the times. An old design leads people to think your company is outdated. People feel confident buying your products or services if they feel like the business is keeping up with the times.

Assess your competition and check out their websites. Do their sites look sleeker than yours? Is the user experience better with smoother navigation? Does it make you feel that your website is nothing but an antique?

Update your site's design on a semi-regular basis, and opinions about your business will improve.

5. You have Flash on your website.

Back in the early days of websites, Adobe Flash was something everyone wanted to have on their site. It made websites look cool and you were able to play media on your pages.

Now, however, few browsers support it as the plugin itself is outdated and full of holes. If you have Flash on your website, then expect slow loading times and that frustration in your visitors will build.

This isn't an extensive list, but they are important. Do yourself a favor and get your website checked by a professional who can tell you where you are going wrong. The future of your business depends on it.

I'm a serial entrepreneur and owner of three internet ventures, including My SEO Sucks. A contributor to ZeroHedge, Entrepreneur.com, Forbes, Inc.com, and dozens of other media outlets, I believe in SEO as a product. I developed a proprietary technology fueling the #1 rankings of My SEO Sucks clients. In guest speaking ventures across North American, I advocate for organic search traffic as the backbone of any comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

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